


One Jump Ahead

by princess_1216



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Aladdin AU, Ben is a Prince, Ben still wears a lot of black in the desert, F/M, Rey is a Scavenger, aladdin - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:54:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25980073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princess_1216/pseuds/princess_1216
Summary: Reylo Readers & Writers Movie Fic Prompt: Ben Solo is tired of being locked up in the palace. As the Prince of Alderaan, and soon to be wed, what happens when a street rat shows him what life is truly like beyond palace walls? Aladdin AU but Rey as Aladdin and Ben as Jasmine.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7
Collections: Let's Go to the Movies - Reylo Readers & Writers Prompt Exchange





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [happythehardway93](https://archiveofourown.org/users/happythehardway93/gifts).



> More to come! Enjoy ;)

_ “Like so many things, it is not what is outside, but what is inside that counts.”  _

* * *

**Prologue**

A dark hooded figure stood alone before a tall sandy ridge in the desert, sand shifting in circular patterns around his feet; Orion’s belt glowed overhead in the clear night sky. A passing observer might have thought him stargazing, but––as there were no passersby this deep in the desert––no one need be fooled. The man’s focus was on the sand below, not the sky above. 

“You’re late,” the hooded figure said suddenly, in a deep, raspy voice that carried across the expanse. 

“I’m– sorry– Master,” a pale, red-haired man panted, appearing a second later at the top of the ridge. He scampered down the dune, leading a disgruntled camel by the nose. “This– blasted– animal––” 

“Nevermind the beast,” the hooded figure interrupted. “I have found it, at last.” 

The red-haired man dragged his begrudging companion through the sand to halt at his master’s side. “Found what, Master?” he gasped as he hitched over, grabbing his waist. He looked around, but could only see an endless stretch of sand. 

The hooded figure did not respond, answering instead with a palm outstretched. The red-haired man strained to see what his master held, but only made out a flash of gold before the palm curled into a fist. 

A rumbling suddenly roared from beneath their feet, and the red-haired man screeched in surprise as the ground beneath him began to shift. He grabbed onto the camel for support; the animal bayed and kneeled down. A heavy wind joined the rumbling and began whistling across the dunes, flinging sand into the faces of master and servant, who each lifted arms to protect his eyes. Finding himself in a maelstrom of sand, the pale man called out for his master. “Is this supposed to be happening?” he yelled, but the wind picked up his words and threw them in all directions. His master gave no indication of having heard him, and the servant closed his eyes to await the end. 

As if in answer to his prayers, the stars returned, and the night became suddenly peaceful once more. The servant, happy to have solid ground beneath his feet, rubbed sand from his eyes, and groaned, aching where the wind had whipped into him. “Master?” he asked, looking around, only to gasp at the changed sight before him. Where there had once been a wall of sand that he had climbed over, there now stood a giant gaping maw, ten feet taller than the dune had been, complete with bared teeth and glowing eyes. 

“Who disturbs my slumber?” a booming voice roared into the night. The red-haired man whimpered, and looked around for the source of the voice. He glanced at his master, shaking, only to see the tall man striding towards the opening with purposeful steps. The sandstorm had whipped off the hood from his master’s head, and moonlight could be seen glinting off a sickly pale scalp, lined with scars, as the man drew closer to the open mouth.

“No one may enter the Cave of Wonders,” the voice boomed when his master was close enough. A soft golden light could be seen glowing from deep inside the mouth. Was the voice coming _from_ the sand dune?

“Hux,” the raspy voice called, and the red-haired man gulped. A single crooked finger was extended to him, beckoning him towards the cave. Hux crept slowly up to his master, who motioned him onward. Shaking, Hux slowly stepped past his master, towards the cave, but the booming voice roared again as soon as Hux had set one toe onto the lip of the entrance. 

“No one may enter the Cave of Wonders,” the booming voice echoed angrily.

An almighty gust of wind threw Hux back to the foot of his master. “No one may enter,” he repeated quickly as he struggled to sit up. 

“No one,” the dark man murmured, still staring at the cave entrance. He smiled suddenly, a soulless grin that made Hux’s blood freeze even in the warmth of an Arabian night. “No one,” he repeated softly with a feverish glimmer in his eye. Turning away from the cave, he trudged towards the camel, his servant––who struggled to follow him through the deep sand––close behind. 

“Come, Hux,” his master called as he took a seat on the frightened camel, which stood up on shaking legs. The ground rumbled once more, and a gust of wind blew around them. Hux looked back at the ridge, but the cave opening was gone, a wall of sand solid once more. He shivered. 

“We have no one to find,” his master said.


	2. Scavenger's Delight

**Scavenger's Delight**

Rey inhaled the sweet, warm morning air, feeling the wind drag on her pale, but dirty, scarf, making it billow in the breeze. She could smell cardamom and saffron in the air, along with a host of other warm, baked things. She loved this time of day, before the rest of Alderaan was awake––when it was just her and the merchants in the early dawn. 

A small voice chattered in her ear. 

Well, her, the merchants––and BeeBee.

She took another deep breath, tilting her head up to feel the warm golden light on her face, then turned to grin at the orange monkey next to her as they crouched on a rooftop overlooking the square of the bazaar. She then gazed with discerning eyes down at the square, which was now bathed in the peachy grey morning light, the sun just beginning to heat up the red stones below. 

Yes, mornings were the best part of the day. They carried so much potential. 

The rest of her days were shit. 

Rey frowned suddenly, her good mood receding as she contemplated her first target of the day: a breadmaker by the name of Unkar, whose stall she looked directly over from her perch on the roof. She watched the baker for a moment. It was normally easy to steal from him, but she had a sneaking suspicion that her day was not going to go as planned. She watched as the baker lumbered away to call another merchant, and whispered resignedly to BeeBee, “This is it.” 

BeeBee chirped back, and she made a shushing noise at him. Rey adjusted the staff that she carried on her back, took a deep breath, and slid down the awning of Unkar’s stall, free falling until she landed silently on the dusty stones of the bazaar. A second later, she felt the familiar weight of BeeBee landing on her shoulder. 

She checked over her shoulder––Unkar was still occupied with the other merchant––and peeked quickly into his stall, drawing her white hood up over her head. The fresh smell of baked bread wafted over her, and she breathed in deeply, awestruck, her mouth watering. There were enough loaves of bread in there to feed all the orphaned children of Alderaan.

Shifting her staff across her body, Rey hopped over the counter. “Go BeeBee,” she whispered, and the monkey hopped off her shoulder onto a shelf. Rey was just grabbing a loaf of seed bread when––

“Girl! What do you think you’re doing?” 

Caught. 

Rey spun around, pulling her staff off her shoulder into her arms as she did so. Unkar was striding towards her angrily, the other merchant right behind him. A party, then. “Looks like this morning is shit, too,” Rey muttered under her breath. Quick as a flash, she hopped back over the counter, spun behind the stall, and ran up a ladder back onto the wall she’d come from. She turned, crouching, her staff pointed directly at the large, lumbering man who was now standing beneath her.

Unkar snarled and muttered and shook his fist. “If I see you near me again, today, girl, it’ll be the last thing you ever see,” he warned menacingly, his beady eyes narrowed under the red scarf wrapped around his face. 

Rey smiled, though she didn’t feel it. Her stomach rumbled. “Well I would hate to see your ugly face again, so that makes two of us,” she retorted, as cheerfully as she could muster. 

Unkar snarled at her again. Rey watched uneasily. His outburst had caused a stir amongst the merchants; thievery was highly punishable in Alderaan. No one liked a thief. Rey smiled half-heartedly. If they called the guards on her, this morning was going to get  _ very _ interesting. 

A flash of bright orange suddenly streaked between Unkar’s legs and up the ladder to Rey. Relief made Rey grin, her smile stretching wide across her face. BeeBee offered her half of the seed bread he’d stolen and began to chew his half. 

“That’s mine!” Unkar roared, waving his giant arms. Great,  _ now _ the rest of Alderaan was probably awake. 

Rey just smirked and spun around, BeeBee quick on her tail. The last thing she needed was to get caught before they finished eating, so she swallowed pieces of the hot bread as fast as she could while sprinting across the flat rooftops, following a well-trodden path to her mid-morning stake-out spot. 

“Nice going, Bee,” Rey murmured to the monkey as she shifted her staff on her back to swing between houses on a laundry line. The monkey chirped in response, his tail shifting with delight as he swallowed his portion and followed her nimbly across. 

Hopping off the roof of one house onto another at the edge of the square, Rey turned to watch the bazaar. Palace guards had assembled near Unkar’s stall. Uh-oh. That could be bad. Frowning, she dropped down into an alley, intent on getting as far away from the center of the marketplace as she could. “Getting into trouble a bit early this morning, aren’t you little one?” A large, bearded man dressed in orange robes suddenly stepped into her path. Rey groaned. 

“You’re only in trouble if you get caught!” she called out. “Get out of my way Teedo!” she said in a warning tone. BeeBee chirped and grunted at the man, too, from his place at Rey’s heel.

The man’s gaze suddenly dropped to the bread still in Rey’s hands. “Give me the goods, or I’ll tell Unkar I saw you.”

“You wouldn’t,” she hissed. Rey began scanning the walls above her, looking for escape, but found none. The only way out was through Teedo; she couldn’t turn around and go back into the town square––the guards were there, and she was sure Unkar had given them her description. She looked down at BeeBee. The monkey was looking at her questioningly. She nodded. At once, BeeBee screeched and ran at Teedo. The man, caught off guard, screamed as tiny teeth bit into his ankle. Rey, now holding her bread between her teeth, swung her staff at Teedo’s head, knocking into him. “Shut up!” she hissed at him, hearing distant shouts behind her. 

Teedo bellowed again, and Rey pushed him to the side of the wall, then attempted to sprint past him. He caught her arm, and Rey turned around, snarling, only to be met with the sight of a black shadow punching Teedo. Rey blinked. No, not a shadow. A man, dressed in all black. Teedo groaned, let her go, and sank down to his knees. BeeBee sprang onto her shoulder. The man turned towards the square, head cocked as he listened, then he turned to her quickly. 

“Run,” he said in a low, male voice, his dark eyes warm under his black face covering. 

Rey ran.


	3. Speechless

** Speechless **

Ben whipped off his dark wrappings as he strode through the palace doors. 

“Enjoyed our morning stroll, did we?” a voice simpered off to the side of the entrance hall. 

Ben rolled his eyes, and accepted the brightly-colored embroidered jacket that Mitaka slid onto his shoulders. He fastened his cuffs and straightened his tunic before turning to look at the red-haired man who had spoken to him. 

“Hux, if you say a word, I will slit your throat,” he said calmly. 

Hux cleared his throat nervously. “I’ll tell my Ma– the Regent about how often you do it,” he threatened with a shaking voice. 

“No you won’t,” Ben said calmly again as he began to stride along the corridor, the weasel at his heels. 

“I will!” Hux protested. 

Ben tsked as he approached a set of double doors at the end of the corridor. “Hux you slimy piece of worthless shit, it is your word against mine, and I am the heir,” he reminded the man, his patience thinning. “And once I inherit the kingdom, you will not want to mess with me,” he said grimly. 

He threw open the double doors, walked in, and sank to one knee. Hux did the same behind him. 

“Rise, my boy,” the Regent called out, and Ben looked up. 

The man sitting behind the large desk was deathly pale, his features split in two by a large scar. He hardly seemed human to Ben. 

Ben approached him slowly, his head still slightly bowed. 

“More information has come to light on the terms of your ascension to the throne,” the Regent rasped, gazing at Ben over the papers strewn over his desk. 

“Sir?” Ben said in confusion. 

“Yes,” the Regent continued, picking up a monocle and a sheet of paper. “It seems as though the council has decreed you  _ must  _ honor one of the terms, less you forfeit the crown. They’re willing to overlook certain others, given your family history.” Ben frowned. 

“What terms?” he asked, puzzled. 

“Matrimony,” the Regent said, lifting his eyes to meet Ben’s. 

Ben heard snickers from behind him and a ringing in his ears. “Ma– Matrimony?” he stuttered. 

“Yes, my boy,” the Regent simpered, watching him with calculating eyes. 

Ben took a deep breath. Ever since his parents’ death at the hands of his traitorous uncle, the Regent had watched out for him, looked out for his welfare––practically raised him as he’d run the country in Ben’s stead. His next birthday marked the date he would finally ascend to his rightful place on the throne––an idea that filled Ben with nothing but dread. And now, marriage? To...whom? 

“What are my options?” he ventured finally, casting his gaze to settle on the Regent’s features. 

“I’ve invited some of our neighbors to send along their finest royal women,” the older man answered measuredly. “The problem, of course, is that you must marry before your next birthday.” 

“But that’s in less than a week!” Ben blurted out, feeling his heart sink. He tried to school his features into an impenetrable mask, like Snoke had taught him. 

Snoke’s eyes narrowed at him, but all Ben could focus on was his heartbeat. 

“There are many things I can do but going against the council’s decree is the one thing I cannot do. This isn’t going to be a problem… is it, Benjamin?” the Regent hissed. 

Ben gritted his teeth. “No, sir,” he answered. 

Snoke nodded. “The first option will be here tonight, the rest arrive tomorrow. You will greet them and evaluate them, and if you have not chosen in three days’ time…” his eyes glinted menacingly. “Then you forfeit the throne, and all will be lost.” 


	4. We're Breaking Free

**We're Breaking Free**

Rey stood on the roof of Maz’s tiny home, surveying the mess of towers and roofs that extended as far as the eye could see. Well, all the way to the palace, which was itself a large combination of bulbous towers and shiny gold roofs. Rey swallowed tightly as she watched the morning light glint off the golden towers. Her stomach rumbled. She turned to look at the sleeping BeeBee next to her and smiled as a tear tracked down her face. 

“Oh child,” she heard Maz murmur as the old woman climbed up onto the roof. 

Rey hastily wiped away her tears. “I’m sorry, Maz, I didn’t hear you come up,” she stammered. 

“I brought you this,” Maz offered. Rey took from her a bowl and spoon. 

“Thank you,” Rey whispered. “You’re always so kind to us.” 

Maz nodded. “We must help each other,” she murmured, standing close to where Rey was sitting as they both gazed at the palace. “Someday, you will be in a position to help us,” Maz continued. “And I pray you do not forget where you came from,” she finished. She nodded at Rey, and descended down the ladder of the roof. 

Rey slurped at the bowl that Maz had brought her, then gently poked BeeBee awake. The monkey stirred, and, smelling food, quickly widened his eyes and stared at Rey in disbelief. She smiled, and offered what was left to BeeBee, who chirped, and quickly slurped it down. 

Rey stared out at the red dawn, and smiled. Maybe today would be alright. 

* * *

By mid afternoon, she and BeeBee were staking out Unkar’s again. Rey hated to admit it, but Unkar was the easiest to steal from. And his bread was good. Even though she and BeeBee had only just eaten at Maz’s, she could feel her hunger rising again. She frowned at her stomach. That was the problem with living on the streets. She would never be fully full. 

A large dark figure in the crowd of people in the square drew her eye from where she and BeeBee had situated themselves. The person seemed to be haggling with Unkar, and was drawing attention to themselves. Rey squinted, and watched the scene unfold. Unkar suddenly signaled for the guards, and Rey, realizing it was the same person who had saved her from Teedo the other night, heaved herself to her feet, and started off towards the scene. 

Drawing her white scarf over her head, Rey weaved between the crowd, heading for Unkar’s stall. The shouting suddenly grew louder. 

“––trying to steal from me!” she heard Unkar roar. 

“I wasn’t trying to steal––” she heard a deep voice shout in return. 

“What do you call not paying for a loaf of bread?” she heard Unkar shout in return, and Rey picked up her speed, BeeBee swaying on her shoulder. 

She pushed her way through the crowd, and saw three guards holding the man back while Unkar shouted in his face. Rey named them quickly: Eyebrows, Nose, and Chin. Rey didn’t think, she just moved. Sprinting forward, she wheeled her staff and struck Nose in the face. 

The man yelled and released the man in black, grabbing at his face where blood was now pouring out from between his fingers. 

Rey spun around and struck Eyebrows in the chest before parrying a sword thrust from Chin. She kicked out and struck Chin in the groin. He went down with a groan. “You have a butt chin,” Rey informed him before sweeping her leg under Eyebrows, who had been creeping up steadily behind her. 

Turning around to assess the damage, Rey found Unkar staring at her. “Girl!” he roared. Rey smirked. “Unkar,” she responded calmly before wheeling her staff to whack him on the head. He groaned, but still came stumbling towards her. 

Rey bent down and allowed BeeBee to run up her arm back to his position on her shoulder. She turned towards the man in black, who was standing there shell-shocked. “Run,” she told him calmly, before sprinting past him. She didn’t turn back to see if he was following her, she just pushed past people and sprinted up the same alley she’d run into Teedo from the other night. 

It was only after she’d gone another block that she stopped to turn around. She groaned. The man in black was following her… 

But so were a legion of palace guards. 

“Come on,” she urged the man, and ducked into a dark alleyway. He followed, and they both sprinted behind a tarp. 

“You’re welcome,” Rey breathed, and looked over at the man next to her. He was breathing heavily. He wasn’t that much older than Rey. He had a youthful, tan face, and his cowl had slipped down from his head, so she could see the jet-black chin length hair on his head that matched his tunic and scarves. Rey had never seen someone wear so much black in the desert. 

“Well, I saved you yesterday,” he muttered, still catching his breath. 

So he did remember. 

Rey nodded, then hitched over grabbing at the stitch in her side. BeeBee chittered happily at their ankles, looking up curiously at the man in black. “C’mon, we need to move,” Rey murmured, waving her hand. 

She didn’t know this man. She had no idea who he was. And yet, they had saved each other. 

Getting up to the roof, Rey made sure her brown scarf was wrapped around her head so only her eyes were showing, then whipped around and pointed her staff at the man. 

“Who are you?” 

The man seemed surprised. “Hey!” he said. “Don’t point that thing at me!” Rey snarled, and tried to make herself taller. BeeBee growled, too, and copied Rey’s movements, pointing a finger at the man.

“I’ll point it where I want,” she said. 

“You don’t have to cover your face now, I’ve already seen it.” He rolled his eyes. 

Rey just tapped the staff against his chest. “Who are you?” she repeated. 

“I’m no one,” he muttered, glancing down at the roof. Rey could hear the guards shouting somewhere below them, on the ground. 

“No, _ I’m _ no one,” she responded, keeping her staff pointed at him. “I’ll ask you one last time. Who are you?” she pushed. 

“Fine, my name is– Kylo,” he said uncertainly. 

“Kylo,” Rey repeated slowly. 

“That’s my name,” the man in black snapped back. 

Rey arched an eyebrow at him. “Really, Kylo,” she said, drawing out the syllables. “Fine,  _ Kylo _ , why haven’t I seen you before?” 

He stared at her. “Do you know everyone in Alderaan?” he ventured. 

“Well, yeah, kinda,” Rey responded. 

“Clearly not, because I’ve lived here my whole life.”

Rey frowned. She  _ did _ know everyone, though, or she thought she had. But Rey had a special feeling when people lied to her, and she didn’t believe this man was lying. So, looking down at BeeBee, she nodded, and pulled back her staff. Then she unwrapped her face. 

“I’m Rey,” she supplied. 

“Rey,” the man repeated, rubbing his chest where the end of her staff had just been moments before. “Nice to meet you,” he winced. 

Rey arched her eyebrow again, and grinned. “C’mon,” she said. “We can’t stay here forever.” 

They trudged over the connecting rooftops, sticking to the shadows where they could. Rey could tell that Kylo was less than nimble on his feet, though he did have a good sense of balance. 

“Why did you save me yesterday?” Rey asked him. 

“What?” Kylo seemed surprised by the question. 

“Why? I had it under control!” 

“Yeah, just like I had today’s misunderstanding under control. If he knew––” 

“If he knew what?” Rey wheeled around. 

“Nothing,” Kylo muttered. 

“Who are you again?” she pressed.

“Not important,” Kylo muttered. “Who are you?” he retorted. 

“I’m no one,” Rey stood her ground. “And I don’t appreciate––” her words were suddenly muffled by a large hand that clapped over her mouth, and Kylo tugged her down. 

“Guards,” he whispered, putting one finger up to his mouth. Rey struggled against his hand, and bit him. “Ow!” he screeched. They both froze. Peering over the edge, they saw guards staring up at them. 

They turned to the other. “Shit,” they said in unison. Running away over the rooftops, they scrambled through windows, hanging rugs. The sun was bright over their heads. “We need––” Rey huffed as she scrambled up the incline of a red sand tower. “A better––” she continued as she tip-toed across a plank of wood between two buildings. “Place to hide,” she finished, as she and Kylo took deep breaths, hiding behind a jeweler’s cart. 

“Right,” Kylo murmured. He tip-toed around the jeweler’s cart, and looked around. He tugged on her hand. “Don’t grab my hand!” she hissed, and he let go in surprise. She sighed, then pursed her lips. “I know a place,” she admitted. “Why didn’t we just go there?” Kylo asked. 

“And bring all the guards to us? No thank you, we had to shake them first,” Rey responded. She nodded, decision made. “Follow me.” 

Kylo, like a dark shadow, followed directly behind until she reached Maz’s door. Climbing up the trellis on the side, she got up to a landing, and stuck a hand out to Kylo to help him up, which he gratefully accepted. Neither of them noticed the hooded figure watching them from a corner, or the wide eyes that gazed out at them from a first-floor window. 

Rey hopped up onto the next roof, and padded over to her living space. One tarp was strewn over a corner to block the sun’s rays, which were now meandering towards the late afternoon. She swallowed the nervous lump in her throat as she sat on the sun bleached carpet and turned towards her new friend. 

“Is this, uh– Is this where you live?” Kylo blurted out. He’d stopped at the edge of the shade. 

Rey felt herself turn red, but she forced her chin up. “Yes, this is my home,” she said proudly. 

She watched Kylo take it all in––the guard’s helmet in the corner, the dried flowers on the small table, the threadbare pillow where BeeBee slept. She cleared her throat, and his eyes settled on her as he slowly settled into a cross legged seat. “It’s not much,” she whispered. “But it has a great view.” Sweeping one hand across the edge of the roof, she drew his attention towards––

“The palace,” he said, suddenly getting up again.

Rey frowned at him, that tingling untruthful feeling spreading over her. She turned towards the view. “Yeah…” she said slowly. She watched him watch the palace. “I wonder what it would be like to live there,” Rey continued, watching Kylo closely. He tensed at her words, his back to her. 

“Well having your whole life planned for you is great,” he muttered, still staring off at the palace. The evening light was creeping in now. The sky was turning a deep purple. 

“Better than here,” Rey responded, still watching him closely. “Getting chased by guards for a loaf of bread, having no money, just generally feeling––” Kylo turned to her. 

“Trapped,” they said in unison, staring at each other. The moment went on, until Rey gradually became aware of it. 

“Umm,” she coughed, and broke eye contact. 

“So, uh–” Kylo started. “Is it just you? And, uh, sorry I don’t know your name?” BeeBee stuck his tongue out at Kylo. 

Rey smiled sadly. “Yes, it’s just us. Me and BeeBee.” 

“Hi BeeBee,” Kylo said, walking over and sticking out his hand. BeeBee sniffed it, then shook it, and hurriedly scampered back behind Rey. She giggled and looked up at Kylo, who was staring at her. 

“What?” she said, and felt herself blush. 

“You have a nice laugh,” he said. The stars began twinkling in the sky. 

“THERE THEY ARE!” 

Rey gasped, and Kylo groaned. “How did they find us?” he muttered. 

Rey took a deep breath, looked at the crowd of guards coming up onto her roof, and extended a hand to Kylo. 

“Do you trust me?” she asked hesitantly. BeeBee climbed onto her shoulder. Kylo took her hand. 

He nodded. “Yes.” 

Rey squeezed his hand. “Then jump!” She tugged him over to the side of the roof and flung them off the side. They plummeted down three stories onto a hill of carpets, which cushioned their fall, but Rey felt her ankle twist. 

She gasped in pain, and heard Kylo groan. 

“Are you okay?” she heard him ask. 

“My ankle,” she gasped out. 

“GET THEM!” 

Rey lay down on the carpets and prayed for mercy. She couldn’t run. She felt a shadow loom over her, but when she opened her eyes, it was just Kylo, studying her. 

“What?” she asked. 

“Thank you,” he muttered. “For today.” Then Rey watched him draw himself up to his full height in front of her, and whip off his black cowl. 

A hush fell over the group of guards. 

“It’s the prince!” she heard one of them yell. 

“Actually, in five days, it will be King,” Kylo grumbled. 

Rey felt herself in shock. “What?” 

Kylo turned around sheepishly, still standing protectively over her. “I’m actually––”

“Prince Benjamin, we’ve been looking everywhere for you!” A man with red hair came running up to Kylo. Rey stared at him from her pile of blankets. She’d never seen a man with red hair before. The man turned up his nose at her in disgust. 

“Come with us, sire, we’ll get you away from this… peasant,” he simpered. Kylo––Ben, Rey supposed, actually growled at the man, who took a step back in shock. 

“The girl is not to be harmed,” he ordered with a tone of importance that Rey had never heard from him before. Well, she’d only known him for a few hours. It felt like longer. 

“Yes, sire, but we’ll have to make sure you get back to the palace safely. And this––street rat–” 

“Don’t call her that!” 

The red-haired man gritted his teeth. “Fine, sire, but this––girl––” He looked at Rey with disgust that clearly meant he thought she was anything but. “This girl must come with us, by order of the Regent,” he said. 

Ben seemed to lose fire at that. He turned to Rey, and quietly said, “I’m sorry.”

Rey tried to stand up with Ben’s help, and winced as she put pressure on her right ankle. “I’ll come. Whatever they want, I’m free tonight, I guess,” she tried to joke. Inside, her heart was beating fast. Why would the Regent want her? And Kylo was actually the Prince? The Prince who had–– 

Rey stared at Kylo now in horror, and he let go of her at the look on her face. 

“Did you do it?” she hissed. 

“What?” Ben asked. 

“You know what,” she said, suddenly aware of their audience. Ben looked back at her, puzzled. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said to the entourage. 

Two guards came and grabbed Rey. She stumbled along. “Hide, BeeBee,” she called out. 

“What was that?” one of the guards said suspiciously. 

“Nothing,” she and Ben said in unison. 

They marched along the alleys until they reached the town square. 

“I don’t understand,” Rey whispered. “Why would you run away?” 

Kylo/Ben stiffened. “I am to be married,” he admitted. 

“To whom?” 

“I– I don’t know yet,” he said. “The council has decreed I must marry before my birthday in five days. Or else I cannot be King. And only when I am King can I be free,” he concluded. 

Rey shook her head. 

“The more titles you pile on, the more trapped you’ll be,” she said, as she was pulled towards a side door of the palace. 

“I don’t have a choice,” Ben whispered.  He was left standing alone at the palace gates.


	5. Friend Like Me

**Friend Like Me**

“Snoke!” Ben bellowed, marching into the Regent’s chambers. “Where’s Rey?” 

“Who?” the Regent simpered, bending over his desk. Ben came to a stop in front of his desk. 

“Rey, the girl I was with at the––”

“The scavenger?” Snoke interrupted, looking up at Ben with an evil grin. “The one who you were cavorting with while  _ I _ was securing your future wife?” He turned back to his papers with a frown. “Yes, she’s been… taken care of.” 

Ben froze. “What does that mean?” 

“It means her sentence has been…” Snoke paused for dramatic effect. “Carried out.” 

* * *

Rey woke with a start. 

She was stuck in a dungeon of some kind, her hands were cuffed together. Suddenly she heard a screeching. 

“BeeBee!” she whispered, noticing the monkey poking his head through a barred window high up above her. The monkey scampered down. 

“How am I going to get out of here?” she asked.

Suddenly the door opened, and guards surrounded her. BeeBee hid himself in her scarf, and she desperately tried to look like she had nothing to hide.

“You won’t,” a cruel voice said. 

Rey stared at the figure before her––a man dressed in golden robes, with a scar splitting his face in half. 

“To serve your sentence––”

“My what?” Rey shrieked. 

“Your sentence,” the man carried on as if he hadn’t heard her. “You will retrieve something of value for me, and then you may go.”

“Value?” Rey asked, puzzled. “Why can’t your– guards handle this sort of thing?” 

“Ask no more questions!” the man shrieked. “You have no choice in the matter. Guards, bring her along.” 

Rey was put into a cart and toted along until she could no longer hear the sounds of the palace or the town; all she heard was the whisper of sand. 

They proceeded in this way all throughout the night, until finally, the cart stopped. 

Rey held her breath as the blanket was ripped off her. 

The man in gold stood staring down at her with eyes like a snake’s. 

“Come,” he said. 

Rey scrambled off the cart, her hands still cuffed, and followed the man to a high dune of sand. In the early morning light, Rey’s eyes played tricks on her. There was no way that dune looked like a beast of some kind, and yet––

“Who dares disturb my slumber?” a voice roared. 

Rey stared with wide, frightened eyes at the dune. She could feel BeeBee shaking in her wraps. 

The cruel man pushed her forward. “Answer,” he whispered. 

“No one,” she stammered. 

“Hmmm,” the voice roared over the wind, and suddenly there was an entrance in the dune where there hadn’t been before––like a doorway, solid and inviting with warm light spilling from it. Rey instinctively took a step forward, drawn to the light. 

“Enter,” the voice said, softer. 

A hand gripped her shoulder. “Bring me the lamp, girl,” he warned. Rey looked at him and then nodded, determined. 

But upon walking through the doorway, Rey heard a rumbling that started under her feet. 

“Uhhhh, mister?” she cried out. 

“Noooo!” she heard the man in gold screech, and then suddenly, Rey and BeeBee were falling down, down, down and sand was raining upon her and she thought  _ this is how I die _ , and then they were falling, falling, falling, until––

“Ooof!” she cried. 

She sat up and winced. “Two falls in one day isn’t great,” she muttered, rubbing her sore ankle. She turned and yelled, “BeeBee?” Hearing a chirping from somewhere over her shoulder, she nodded and squinted at their surroundings. 

It was more comfortable than the pile of blankets she and Ky– Prince Ben had landed on earlier in the day, but not by much. Just a lot of sand and rocks. In a cave. 

“Great,” Rey muttered. It was as if she and BeeBee had been plunged into another dungeon. The cave should have been in total darkness. But instead, a small golden light filled the void, seemingly coming from a––

“Lamp?” she said wonderingly. Getting up gingerly, Rey hobbled across the sand of the cave to the lamp, which stood proudly on a rock shelf. “Huh,” she muttered, glancing around the cave. This is what the man in gold had wanted. 

The lamp was indeed emanating some kind of golden light. It shone out from the lamp. BeeBee came wadling over to her, and inspected it himself. “Should we try it?” Rey asked him. He chirped approvingly in response, and rubbed his shoulders. Cold. 

“Yeah, me too, buddy,” she whispered. She gripped the handle and ran a hand along the side. All of a sudden, the lamp grew warmer, then hot, and Rey let go with a gasp. Steam was boiling out of the end of the lamp, but then––

“Woooooooooooweeeee it feels like 10,000 years in there and I have  _ such _ a crick in the neck!” she heard a loud, booming voice. 

Rey scrambled back, and BeeBee hid behind her. Where there hadn’t been a minute before, there was now a man, pale and nearly see-through, wearing brown robes and a long beard. 

“Where did you come from?” Rey screeched, and the man winced. 

“Quiet, will you? I haven’t had to talk to anyone in over a decade!” he stuck his pinky in his ear and twisted. Rey watched in shock. 

She had only rubbed the lamp, and–– 

She gasped. “Are you a genie?” The man let out a single booming laugh. Then another. Then before long, he was doubled over, kneeling down, hitting the ground with his hand, tears streaming down his face. He looked up at her and suddenly stopped. 

“You’re serious?” he asked wonderingly, getting up off the ground. 

Rey just stared at him. 

He cleared his throat. “Yes, I am,” his mouth quirked, but he quickly schooled his expression. “I am a genie,” he confirmed, unable to keep his mouth from grinning. 

“Why are you laughing?” Rey was certain she had probably just hit her head on the way down from the cave, and she’d wake up soon enough. This was probably just a dream. 

“Well, normally people  _ want _ to find a genie,” the genie chortled. “You don’t seem to have wanted to find me.” 

“No, I  _ wanted _ another loaf of bread, but I was suddenly attached to a prince, and then I got thrown in a dungeon, and then interrogated, and then thrown in here to find a  _ lamp  _ not a  _ genie _ , and now I’m stuck talking to one, and this is probably just a dream.” 

Suddenly the genie was standing very close to her face. Something hit her arm. “Ouch!” she yelled. She looked down. The genie had hit her with a reed of some kind. It disappeared instantly.

“Feel that?” the genie chortled, then stepped back. Rey nodded, rubbing her arm. That had hurt. 

“This is real, kid,” the genie said. He sat down, cross-legged on the floor. 

“Wha– what are you doing?” Rey murmured. 

“Meditating so that I can go back into the lamp,” he whispered sarcastically. 

“But, I–” 

“You didn’t want me, so I don’t know that we’ll be doing business together after all,” he responded. 

“Hey!” Rey put her hands on her hips. “I’ll have you know that I was sent here to find your lamp,” she pointed at the thing that was still emanating soft golden light, “And since you are what I found instead, I think we  _ will _ have to work together find a way get out of here.” 

“Is that what you really want?” the genie suddenly pressed, one eye open. “A way to get out of here?” 

“I–– yeah?” Rey was startled by the question. 

“Would you say that you  _ wish  _ it?” the genie pressed again. 

“I–– sure, what?” Rey was confused. 

All of a sudden, the floor beneath her shifted, and she was thrown back onto a––

“Carpet?” she shrieked. The carpet was moving. No, it was  _ flying _ . Rey scrambled to find purchase, holding BeeBee close as they suddenly zoomed towards the top of the cave. “Ahhhhh,” she screamed as they closed in on the top of the cave, stopping precious inches away from smashing into it. 

The genie chortled. He was hovering nearby, still in his cross-legged pose. “I certainly granted  _ that _ wish,” he laughed. 

Rey’s chest was heaving, and she was breathing unsteadily. “This–– was not– the way– I thought – this was going to go–” she managed to gasp out. 

The genie grinned at her, his blue eyes twinkling. “It rarely does.” 


	6. A Magic Carpet Ride

**A Magic Carpet Ride**

Rey was learning how to control the carpet. She and BeeBee were soaring around the cave, giggling. 

“This was a great wish!” she called out to the genie, hurtling to a stop just in front of him. “Thanks, err––” 

“Genie,” he supplied. 

“Don’t you have another name?” Rey asked, stepping off the carpet. 

“Yes, but unless you truly  _ wish _ to know it, you may call me by my title. However, you have no such power, so I can ask your name without consequence.” 

He waited, and Rey said nothing. 

“What is your name?” he pressed. 

“My– oh!” she exclaimed. “Rey.”

“Rey of…” the Genie trailed off. She stiffened.

“Nowhere,” Rey responded. 

“No one’s from nowhere,” the Genie replied. 

“My parents were born in Jakku,” Rey retorted. 

“Alright, fine, that is pretty much nowhere,” the Genie admitted. 

“You know it?” Rey said in surprise. 

“Hey, I said it  _ felt like _ 10,000 years, not that it had been,” he responded. 

“Right.” Rey concluded. They sat in silence. 

“So, did you want to do anything else with your two wishes?” the Genie asked, not unkindly. 

“What would I do with them?” Rey asked. 

“Do you want power, wealth, land?” the Genie asked. 

“Ummm… no?” Rey responded. 

“Do you want to travel, get a camel, or get a bigger house?” 

“Not really,” Rey laughed. “What would you wish for?” 

The genie froze, a curious expression on his face. “Freedom,” he admitted. 

“Are you...trapped?” Rey asked. 

“In a way,” he sighed. “There must always be a genie in the lamp.” 

“So… someone would have to take your place?” she murmured. 

The genie nodded, then seemed to pick himself up out of his morose mood. “Anyways, this isn’t about me, this is about you!” The genie studied her closely. “Do you have anyone in your life that you want to do something for?” he asked. 

“No– oh,” she cast her eyes down. “I guess, sort of–” 

“Uh huh,” the genie encouraged. “A lover, perhaps?” 

“No, he’s not, he’s just–” 

“Just what?” 

“We barely know each other!” she whispered. 

“Alright, so let’s get you to him! You can  _ get _ to know each other! I’ll help you out here and tell you what I  _ can’t  _ do, first of all. I can’t kill anybody,” he ticked off. “I can’t make people fall in love, and I can’t bring people back from the dead. Oh! And no wishing for more wishes.” 

“But he’s a prince–” 

“He’s a what?” the genie’s face paled. 

“A prince,” she muttered. 

“Prince… who?” he followed. 

“Prince Benjamin of Alderaan,” Rey stated, watching the genie’s face pale further. “Do you know him?” she asked hesitantly. 

“I would say so,” the genie muttered. “He’s the reason I’m a GENIE!” His voice suddenly boomed throughout the cave. 

“Ben made you like this?” Rey asked in surprise. 

“No, his Regent,” the genie murmured. Rey gasped. 

“He’s the one who sent me to find you!” 

The genie nodded ruefully. “I knew I couldn’t hide from him forever, so I cast an enchantment over my lamp so that no one could find me.” 

“I’m no one,” Rey said softly. The genie hesitated, then nodded. 

Rey wiped her eyes. “So, my second wish,” she began. 

The genie started. “You still want to go to him?” 

Rey nodded. “He saved me, once,” she whispered softly. “And if the Regent is as bad as you say he is, then Ben’s in trouble.” 

* * *

“Good luck marrying him off!” the Princess of Coruscant muttered as she stormed out of the courtyard. 

Snoke called Ben to his side. “Another one, Ben? You will marry who I choose for you to marry!” 

Ben stood in front of him, defiant. “Too self-absorbed,” he called back. He’d seen five royal ladies in as many hours, and he was tired, he was grieving, he was upset.

“The law says you must be married by your next birthday,” Snoke muttered. “That’s now in three days!” 

“Right. And what will happen when I don’t marry someone by that date and time?” Ben toed the ground. “What if I don’t want to be a king anymore?” he muttered.

Snoke became angry. “You succeeded, my boy! You are the most powerful king in the western kingdoms! You usurped your traitorous mother, sent her into exile, and now sit on your family’s throne! And you will marry. I will not see my– err… your power diminished!” 

“Right,” Ben muttered. He turned to the window, his eyes drawn once more to the marketplace where he had spent the day with Rey. He thought of her laugh, and how Snoke had had her sentenced, and he grew angry. 

“Get out,” he muttered suddenly. 

“What, boy?” the Regent called back, angry. 

“Get out! I don’t want to see another girl today, you’ve already killed the one I’d consider!” 

“The peasant? The  _ scavenger? _ ” Snoke pressed wickedly. “Oh yes, a fine match  _ she _ would have made,” he sneered. 

“GET OUT” Ben roared. 


End file.
